


Unexpected Surprises

by LilyAnson



Category: NCIS
Genre: Adult Content, Christmas, Drama, Gen, Kidnapping, Miracles, Non-Graphic Violence, Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-21 14:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4831730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyAnson/pseuds/LilyAnson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas challenge.  Gibbs wakes to find a baby mysteriously in his house.  Now him and the team must work to solve the mystery behind where the baby came from and where her parents are.  Maybe there is magic in the Christmas season....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a Christmas challenge. Must include, old cast member not part of the team, a previous medical condition, a baby not belonging to a member of the team, the Christmas season, and the words "i have a bottle of vodka". R&R plz.
> 
> Saint Nicholas is the "Patron saint" of sailors, merchants, archery, wolves, thieves, children, pawnbrokers, and students in various countries. He was also a patron of the "Varangian". The Varangia Guard of the Byzantine emperors, who protected his relics in Bari.

Yawning Gibbs waited a few seconds for the alarm to beep. When the alarm beeped He reached over and shut it off as he did every morning. He didn't need the alarm but it was habit to set it every time. He sat up and stretched. After a minute or two he walked into the kitchen to start some coffee.

It was December twenty-fourth, normally he wouldn't be here. Vance had made it abundantly clear that Gibbs would show up at this Christmas party. Either that or he would end up with two more weeks of Christmas "vacation". Gibbs sighed as he thought about the party and poured a cup of coffee as he walked into the dining room.

He sat at the table and took a drink of his coffee. He stared across the table at nothing in particular as he sipped his coffee. Even with it being the day before Christmas there were no decorations up, no tree. He didn't decorate. The house was the same as it was every day. Same table, same couch, same fireplace. Same baby carrier....

That jarred him out of his thoughts. Baby carrier? Carrying his coffee he slowly walked over to the baby carrier and inspected it. Yep, baby carrier, baby, fur blanket. There was a note tied onto the handle with silver colored thread. The baby looked up, made some cooing sounds and smiled. 

He was pretty sure the baby was healthy and not in immediate danger so he took the time to open his front door and look for footprints in the snow. The snow had no visible marks at all so he checked the back door. No foot prints there either. He blinked a few times and rubbed a hand over his face.

\---------

Gerald slowed as he approached the tree blocking most of the road. Dr. Mallard invited him as his guest for the Christmas party. It would be nice to see everyone again. He rubbed his shoulder absentmindedly. It always acted up when the weather got really cold. It was too icy to try to go around the tree. Gerald backed up carefully and took the turn off just behind him. Someone should probably call the tree in, he thought to himself. He was debating calling it in himself he saw a car on the side of the road. 

The driver's door was open and there didn't seem to be anyone nearby. Slowing to a stop Gerald looked around for any sign of the driver. There didn't seem to be anyone in the immediate area. Slowly he pulled closer and inspected the car further. As far as he could tell there was no sign of anyone in the car. Upon further inspection he noted base parking tags on the car. Something was definitely not right here. He pulled his phone out to make a call.

\---------

Tony had just arrived and gotten out of his car when he saw Gibbs pull in. Tony walked over and waited for Gibbs to finish parking. Gibbs being Gibbs, hadn't said a lot when he'd called. As Gibbs got out of the car Tony started to ask what was going on, but Gibbs threw a pair of gloves at him. After catching them Tony just stared at them.

"Put them on," Gibbs told him while turning back to the car.

Tony pulled the gloves on and watched as Gibbs opened the back door. He didn't know what he should have expected. What he deffinately had NOT expected was a baby. When Gibbs started to hand the baby to him, Tony put both hands up and started to back away.

"Hey. Wait, boss me and babies... I mean... I don't-" 

"Just take her DiNozzo," growled Gibbs.

Tony inched forward and gingerly took the baby from Gibbs. Tony carefully held the baby under it's arms a short distance from himself. Gibbs promptly turned around and reached back into the car. After a few seconds he pulled a baby carrier out of the back seat. When Gibbs shut the door he turned around and stared at Tony for a second.

"It's a baby not a bomb DiNozzo."

"I don't know boss, some babies-"

"DiNozzo." 

Gibbs glared at him and Tony pulled the a little baby closer. He followed Gibbs into the building casting quick glances at the baby in his arms. Why did it have to be a baby? He didn't hate babies. He just didn't like holding them. They were soft, breakable and they spit up on things. Sighing in resignation he followed Gibbs into the elevator.

"I'm taking the baby carrier to Abby's Lab. Call Abby and tell her to get here ASAP. Hopefully we can find the baby's parents through DNA. Start looking through missing children and abduction reports."

"What do I do with the baby, Boss?"

His phone rang and Gibbs growled at it before answering.

"Gibbs."

He turned and headed for Abby's lab. 

Tony watched Gibbs leave to take the carrier to Abby's lab. This is so not happening, he thought to himself. How am I supposed to hold a baby and do this? He tried his best for a while but it wasn't working well. His thoughts were interrupted by the elevator dinging. He looked up and saw Ziva walking out. Yes, saved by the bell. He put one of his best smiles on and walked towards her.

\---------

The sight of Tony with a baby froze Ziva in her tracks. Her mind began running through possible explanations, but none fit. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. Tony continued walking towards her grinning broadly. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. She waited as Tony approached her.

"Hiya Ziva."

"Why are you holding a baby," she asked him narrowing her eyes.

"The bossman gave it to me to hold until you got here. Here you go Z, a baby just for you."

Tony held the baby out to her and she promptly put her arms behind her.

"Oh no. I do not do babies. You hold it."

"Come on Ziva, it doesn't bite. I don't think she's even got teeth yet. Please."

"Oh no. You still did not tell me why you have a baby Tony."

"Um. I'm not quite sure why I have her actually. Gibbs pulled in right after I did and handed her to me. I think her parents are missing. Please, you have to take her."

"Why do I have to take her?"

"How am I supposed to work and hold her. Besides, you're a girl, you know about babies."

"Why do you assume I know about babies just because-"

Gibbs voice cut her off.

"Ziva, with me. Tony, didn't I tell you to check abductions?"

"Getting on that. I was just letting Ziva take the baby so that I could-"

"She's has other things to do. We have an abandoned car registered to a Lt. Walker's wife. She's going with me to check that out. Take the baby and do what I said."

With that he walked to the elevator and pressed the button. Ziva took one last glance at Tony and followed quickly behind Gibbs. As the doors opened she stepped inside just after Gibbs. She waited until the doors closed before she said anything.

"Gibbs, why is there a baby here?"

"Because I found her and now I need to find her parents."

"You found her? Where?"

Gibbs turned and glared at her. "In my house, any other questions?"

She merely shook her head as she tried processing what he told her.

When the elevator stopped they started to exit and Tim almost ran into them.

"Boss, sorry I'm running late. I was-" 

"Go help Tony. Tell Abby to call me as soon as she gets in. I want something by the time I get back."

\---------

Tim watched as Gibbs storm past. Ziva looked back over her shoulder with an expression Tim couldn't decipher, then the two of them were gone. Tim shook his head and got into the elevator. He was going to have to ask Tony what was going on. When the doors opened he walked to his desk but stopped. 

Pens, paper clips and other office supplies lie in a pile near the file cabinet. The cabinet had one drawer missing. The drawer itself was on the floor near Tony's desk. He started to say something but Tony pointed a finger at him and glared. Tony glanced at the cabinet drawer and strode over to him.

"If you wake her up you get to take care of her," Tony hissed. "Search missing children and abduction reports. Also we have an abandoned car belonging to a Jessica Walker that Gibbs and Ziva went to check on. So you might want to see if she and her husband, Lt. James Walker have any kids."

Tim followed Tony back to his desk and looked inside the cabinet drawer. Shirts, presumably Tony's, covered the inside. Lying on top of them was a sleeping baby. Tim opened his mouth but couldn't seem to make it work. Tony glared at him again and pointed a finger back towards Tim's desk. Still too stunned to speak he walked to his desk to begin checking reports. 

\---------

After Gerald called about the abandoned car Ducky had called to inform Jethro. When Ducky called, Jethro had news of his own. After a quick shopping trip he had managed to get the basic supplies needed for taking care of a baby for a short time. He briskly walked from the elevator towards Anthony's desk. He stopped before he got all the way there and frowned. There were office supplies strewn on the floor and the baby was no where to be seen. 

"Anthony, where on-"

"Shh." 

Tony and Tim both whispered in unison. 

"Sleeping baby here Ducky," Tony replied quietly.

Ducky raised an eyebrow and walked closer. Apparently Tony had made a make-shift crib out of a file cabinet drawer. The baby was sleeping peacefully in the drawer just to the right of Tony's desk. Ducky shook his head. Ducky held one bag so Tony could see inside. Tony looked relieved.

"Good," Tony whispered. "At least we'll have something to feed her if she wakes up. How did you know, though?"

"Gerald called me about an abandoned car and I called Gibbs. While I was on the phone he asked if I could pick up a few things. A filing cabinet drawer?"

Tony shrugged. "It was the best I could find. My options were pretty limited." 

"I think I can come up with something a little more comfortable." Ducky smiled. "I'd like to do a check up as well. Just to make sure everything is okay."

"Well we should probably keep the clothes as evidence. I would say we could bag them now, but I don't really have anything her size to give her."

Ducky set the bags down carefully. He dug in one until he found what he was looking for. He held up a small pink outfit and Tony grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

From the trunk she heard the car door slam. She heard the crunching of gravel as footsteps began to get closer. Her kidnapper opened the trunk and for a second the light blinded her. She instantly began struggling against the ropes again as she yelled at him.

"Where's my baby? What have you done with with my baby? Where is she?"

"She's with your mother where you left her. Nice try."

"No I had her with me. My mother got sick, so I brought her with me. Where is she?!" 

"You what?"

"I brought Jean with me. What did you do with her?"

"If you really had her in the car then you better do what I say. If you shut up and do what you're told I'll call someone to check on the car."

"You left her?!"

"The car was running when we left. She'll be fine for a little while. If you don't do what I say then I won't call anyone to check on her," he said before grabbing her bound wrists. He pulled her out of the car and led her into the building. She started struggling again.

"Promise me. Promise you'll call or-"

"I won't call anyone and I might just shoot you now if you don't shut up."

They walked into the abandoned building and he led her to a small side room. He pointed to a chair with the gun. When she sat in it he tied her so she couldn't move. Reaching onto a nearby shelf he pulled off a roll of duct tape and put a strip over her mouth. He exited the room and returned shortly. 

"One peep and I hang up and shoot you," he said pointing the gun at her.

\---------

Gerald walked over to Gibbs car as he pulled up.

"Everything's exactly like I found it. No one's been by."

"Good," Gibbs said as he exited his car and tossed Gerald a camera. "Start photographing."

Gerald stared at the camera for a second. "Right. What do you want me to photograph?"

"Everything," Gibbs replied without turning around.

\---------

As they started processing the car Gibbs heard sirens getting closer. He looked up in time to see two cop cars coming up the road. Their arrival created more questions. Gerald had said no one had been by. Were they here about the abandoned car, or was it merely coincidence? He didn't believe in coincidences. Sighing, Gibbs walked over to meet the new arrivals. He watched a deputy sheriff exit the first vehicle. The man looked slightly confused and a little hopeful. 

"Did you find the child," the man asked.

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at the man. "What child?"

"We had an anonymous tip there was a child in an abandoned car. The caller said the car was supposed to be at this location. That's the car he described. Any luck finding the child?"

Gibbs turned to Gerald. "You're absolutely positive no one has been by since you've been here?"

"Positive," Gerald answered. "Not in the last hour."

The man frowned. "The call came in about fifteen minutes ago."

Gibbs turned back to Ziva who was still standing near the car. "You see a baby in the car," he asked her.

Ziva quirked an eyebrow then leaned over to look in the car. She turned back to him and responded, "No baby here."

"I'm going to have to take a look myself if you don't mind," the deputy said.

"You can look, but the car is registered to a Navy dependent and there are signs she may have been abducted. It's my crime scene."

The deputy nodded and went to look into the car himself. The man eye'd them carefully. "Something's not adding up here and I don't like it. Under the circumstances there's not much I can do about it, though. Hicks, you go up the road and see if you can find any other cars matching the description," he called to the other deputy. Turning back to Gibbs he asked. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Can you figure out where the call was made from?"

"We can try."

"You do that. Let me know if you find out anything," Gibbs said as he turned around and walked back to the car.

\---------

Abby left the elevator and went in search of Gibbs. As she neared the teams area she noted the mess on the floor and a file cabinet drawer sitting next to the cabinet. Dismissing it as part of the normal mayhem she looked around. She couldn't spy Gibbs anywhere so she walked over to Tony.

"What's up? Where's Gibbs?"

"Found baby, missing parents and an abandoned Navy Lt. vehicle on the side of the road. That about sums it up."

"You found a baby?!"

"Nope, Gibbs did."

"Where did he find it."

"Probably on his doorstep," Tony paused for a second. "Or maybe inside the door," he mused to himself.

"You don't know," Abby asked curiously.

"Well, it's the only thing that makes sense. I mean, how long do you see Gibbs not calling after he found a baby. If the baby was left outside she would have frozen. So unless Gibbs kidnapped the baby himself, it's the only thing that fits." Tony paused again. "Kind of reminds me of the movie Three Men and a Baby. You know, where Tom Selleck finds this baby outside the door to his apartment and-"

"Why is everything movies with you, Tony," Tim asked.

Tony shrugged and his phone rang. 

"DiNozzo," he said as he answered the call.

Abby moved over to talk to Tim. "Where is the baby, can I see her?"

"Gibbs dropped off some things for you to test in your lab. You should probably get those started. Ducky has the baby right now, but if Gibbs gets back before you-"

"I'll only take a second. Okay, maybe a minute," she assured him as she headed towards the elevator. "No more than five minutes," she called back to Tim as the elevator doors shut.

\---------

This was not part of the plan. The baby was not supposed to be involved. Damn, he thought to himself. This could still work. I just have to step up the time table a little. As he mused to himself he listened to the police scanner. There was no word on the baby yet. He didn't plan on killing anyone but they had to believe he would for his plan to work.

\---------

"So what do we have," Gibbs asked impatiently. 

"The car is registered to Lt. Walker's wife Jessica. Lt. Walker and his wife have a child that fits, Jean Emma Walker. Twelve other children that meet the same criteria. Can't know if the baby you found is any of them until Abby's done with the DNA. 

I couldn't contact Mrs. Walker but I did contact her mother. Mrs. Walker was on her way to see her husband before he would be out of touch. He's on his way to update fleet ciphers. She was going to see him before he left since it will take about a week to get to everyone he has to get to. She had the child with her and they didn't arrive at the base. Lt. Walker's already left and they won't contact him unless I can come up with a good enough reason."

"Tony, get in contact with Walker's C.O. Ziva you and Tim check to see if there's anyone that might have a grudge against the Walkers for any reason. Where's the baby?"

"Ducky has her. He's giving her a check up to double check that she's okay."

Gibbs nodded and left to see if Abby had found anything. He took the stairs so he could call Vance and give him a heads up. This could easily turn into a matter of national security. Gibbs would do what he needed to get the job done, but Vance could make it easier. There are things Vance could approve that could resolve matters quicker if needed, otherwise Gibbs wouldn't be calling. 

"What have you got for me Abbs," Gibbs asked walking into Abby's lab.

"I can tell you the baby Ducky is watching is almost certainly Lt. Walker and his wife's," she said grinning at him. "Did you really find the baby in your house? That is just too cool. How do you think she got there?"

"Abby, focus. What do you mean 'almost certainly'?"

"Sorry. Well their medical records are all on file so I ran blood tests on the baby. Judging by the medical records she probably is their child. Still waiting to make a positive match with DNA to be one hundred percent certain. No prints on the baby carrier besides Lt. Walker and his wife's. Not much else to tell besides that." Abby shrugged.

"We found their car abandoned and with two bullet holes in it. It'll be here soon. Here's the photo's from when we went to check on the car and possible evidence." He placed the box of evidence on the table and handed her the flash drive with the pictures. "Call me as soon as you get something Abbs." He headed back up stairs to see if Tony had made any progress getting in touch with Walker's C.O. 

Scenario after scenario ran through his mind. There could be any number of reasons why someone would kidnap Lt. Walker's wife. With Lt. Walker's job they could gain access to all kinds of potentially dangerous information. His gut was telling him something wasn't right, though. Why not take the baby too? Why was it left at his house and how did it get there? The elevator doors opened. He stepped out and came face to face with Vance.

"Gibbs."

"Vance."

"What have got so far?"

"One baby, one abandoned car with two bullet holes in it, one missing Navy wife and a lot of questions."

"Any answers?"

"The baby belongs to the missing wife," Gibbs said walking towards his desk. "So far we haven't been able to get in touch with Lt. Walker. He's delivering fleet ciphers and is unable to be reached directly. Tony's supposed to be getting in touch with his C.O."

"How's it going?"

"That's what we're about to find out."

"DiNozzo. Report," Gibbs barked out as he headed for his own desk.

"Getting stonewalled here boss. They won't put me through to his C.O."

Gibbs glanced at Vance. 

"I'll make some calls," Vance replied before heading up to his office.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mast (ie: Captain's Mast or Admiral's Mast) In naval tradition, a mast is a non-judicial punishment ("NJP") disciplinary hearing under which a commanding officer studies and disposes of cases involving those in his command.
> 
> If the officer conducting the proceeding is either a captain, or a lower ranking officer (typically a commander or lieutenant commander) serving as commanding officer of a naval or coast guard vessel, an aviation squadron, or similar command afloat or ashore, then the proceeding is referred to as a captain's mast.

Lost in his own thoughts Lt. James Walker took his seat on the plane. Worried about his wife he kept trying to tell himself there was probably a good reason she hadn't shown up this morning. Despite his best efforts he couldn't stop worrying. She hadn't answered when he'd tried to call. That wasn't like her.

As the plane prepared for take off Walker took his assigned seat. He pulled on his seat belt and his hand touched something he couldn't immediately identify. Turning his head for a better look Walker discovered it was a cassette player. Between the seat and the side of the plane it was fairly concealed from anyone at a cursory glance. He retrieved the player and buckled his seat belt as the plane lifted off.

There was a tape inside the player. Popping it open he inspected the tape. It was a generic one sold for recording things onto. There were no markings on the tape or the player to indicate who it belonged to, or where it had come from. Walker re-closed the player and frowned at it. With a final look around he put the player against one ear under his headset and pushed play.

\--------

Pouring over the pictures Abby tried to find something useful. There wasn't a lot to work with yet but she was trying as hard as she could to find something. After going through the photos on her computer she decided to put them up on the big screen. Hopefully seeing a larger version of them would help her find something.

So far it wasn't helping. Tossing the remote down on a table in disgust, she turned her back on the images and crossed her arms. She was startled when an older man she didn't recognize came through her door with the janitor's cart. She frowned as she watched him enter. Carl was supposed to be the janitor coming to her lab tonight.

"Just here to take your trash Miss Sciuto, don't mind me."

"You're not Carl," she said as she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm filling in for him so that he can spend Christmas Eve with his family."

"Aw, that's nice of you..." she trailed off as soon as she realized she still didn't know his name.

"Chris," He said smiling as he pointed to the name tag.

Of course. Why didn't I think to look for a name tag, she chided herself. He nodded at her and went to empty her trash. Abby turned around to study the pictures more in hopes of finding something. She just had to find something. Everyone deserved to be with their family for Christmas. She was still staring at the photos when she realized Chris has walked up behind her. She turned around to face him.

"Sorry," he said. "I was was just thinking that seems a little odd."

She turned back towards the picture.

"What does," she asked, curious.

"Those tracks on the passenger side of the car look kind of like sled tracks. And then there's that clump of dirt there," he said point at the picture.

"It's more red than grey. All the other bits of snow are grey like you'd expect them to be if they came off of a car. It's also in the middle of the road not behind the car in the picture. Perhaps that means something?"

Abby stared at the picture in question for a minute. "Hey, you're right. Thank you so much Chris." She turned face him, but he was gone by the time she finished turning. Before she had time to wonder about how fast he disappeared, the mass spec beeped at her. Now to find out what kind of fur the blanket's made of, she thought to herself. As she walked to the mass spec she pushed play on her stereo remote and music blared through the speakers.

\--------

One coffee in his hand and a carrier with more in the other hand Gibbs stepped out of the elevator. He was missing something important, he knew it. He just didn't have any clue what to look for yet. He had hoped that the walk to the coffee shop would help him think of something. He always thought better when he was moving. Still, he hadn't had any new revelations. With luck Tony would have a lead by now. He walked up to Tony's desk and set a coffee on the corner.

"Good timing Boss," Tony said looking up at him. "Vance wants you in MTAC ASAP. They're contacting Lt. Walker's CO in about," Tony checked his watch, "five minutes."

"Any luck finding someone from Walker's personal life that might have a grudge?"

"There's a few people he wrote up for Mast, but other than than that it doesn't seem like he has many enemies. We're trying to track them down but two of them are still unaccounted for."

"Tony, you and Ziva question as many of them as you can find. When you're done go search the Walker's house and see if you can find anything. Tim, Abby found something in one of the pictures. She needs someone to go pick up a specific clump of dirt and bring it back here so she can test it," he said as he place coffees on Tim and Ziva's desks.

"Dirt?" McGee asked curiously.

"Yes dirt. Some red clump of dirt that looked out of place. Have her send you a picture so you know exactly what you're looking for," Gibbs replied as he turned and headed towards MTAC.

Hopefully soon they would get some answers. Gibbs entered MTAC and nodded to Vance. He had just enough time to grab a headset and get in front of the screen before Captain Turner appeared.

"What do you guys need, I'm a little busy here," Turner stated while examining papers on his desk.

"We understand that you're busy, Captain. However, the wife of one of your subordinates was abducted earlier today. We don't know yet for what purpose, but the potential for someone to use this to compromise the Lieutenant cannot be overlooked," Vance responded tersely.

"So far no has reported any possible abducted family members. If they had we would have already taken immediate actions. We have protocols in place for this sort of thing," Turner replied annoyed.

"This is bull. Listen here Captain. Lt. Walker's wife was kidnapped. Her car was found with bullet holes in it. Their baby was found abandoned. I don't give a damn about your protocols. If you don't care about your subordinates you should at least care that someone delivering fleet ciphers may be compromised. I strongly suggest you get off your ass and contact Lt. Walker before anyone has a chance to make him do something we all may regret." Annoyed, Gibbs tossed the headset down and stormed out of MTAC.

\--------

Vance watched Gibbs leave and turned back towards the screen.

"Captain, normally I would apologize for Gibbs' behavior, however this time I happen to agree with him. If Walker doesn't know yet the sooner we can inform him the better our chances of keeping a major incident from happening. And Captain, if you persist in impeding our investigation and we don't find Mrs. Walker in time, I will personally hold you responsible."

Vance removed his headset and signaled for them to cut the feed.

\--------

After doing what he could to help Abby, Ducky made his way back to Autopsy. Walking through the doors Palmer looked up and Ducky took in the situation before him. Palmer was holding the baby, Jean, who appeared to be fussy. Palmer looked decidedly uncomfortable and didn't seem to be having much luck calming the baby.

"Mister Palmer, have you never held a baby before," Ducky queried.

"Um, not really. I did hold my sister's baby for like five minutes once."

Ducky frowned and shook his head. "Hand her over Mister Palmer. Honestly Mister Palmer, it's not really that difficult," Ducky said taking the baby.

"Well, see, babies don't actually seem to like me that much, and-"

"Nonsense, Mister Palmer." Ducky began to softly rock Jean. "Babies don't dislike anyone, they can however, sense fear. Babies are incredibly perceptive. If you feel uncomfortable, they will pick up on it. The trick, Mister Palmer, is to have confidence. If you feel confident, then the baby will pick up on it and feel more secure themselves."

"Ah, I see. So, have they made any progress finding her mother yet?"

"Sadly no. Perhaps something will turn up soon. We can always hope for a Christmas miracle, after all, it is the season for miracles."

I've always believed in the magic of Christmas, it's the best part of the season."


	4. Chapter 4

McGee parked and exited the car. Just great, he thought to himself. I get sent out to find a clump of dirt that's probably been ran over and destroyed by now. He took one last look at the picture Abby had sent before putting his phone away. Carefully he navigated his way to the area. Amazingly enough the clump of dirt was still intact and still exactly where it was on the photo. "Talk about a miracle," he muttered to himself. He snapped a few more pictures and bagged it.

Having promised Abby he would check out the mysterious tracks, McGee carefully made his way to the side of the road where the car had been. The snow off to the edge of that area had been obliterated when the car had been moved. He groaned to himself. He snapped a few pictures of the area anyway, just to prove that he had remembered to check the tracks and it was his fault he couldn't. Having done everything he was here for he headed back to NCIS to get the dirt to Abby and check on any new developments.

\--------

Walker watched as the pilot, scowling, began the message over once again. Everyone in the cockpit seemed to be holding their breath. Hopefully the people in the planes sent to escort them would understand what they were doing. After listening to the tape Walker knew he had to find some way to let someone know there was a problem. When he had first listened to the tape he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The first thing Walker noted was altered voice. He pushed that out of mind and paid careful attention to the words. When the message finished he pressed rewind and played it again. The message had definitely been left for him, though he couldn't fathom how. Whoever had left the message had addressed him by name. The voice on the tape had ordered him to destroy the ciphers he was supposed to deliver. He wiped a hand across his face and contemplated the issue. Think of the solution not the problem, he told himself. 

The voice on the tape informed him that the they had the ability to hear anything that was said. Did they have the ability to see inside the plane? Was the person who made the tape the only person involved, or were there others? Lt. Walker's mind raced with questions he knew he couldn't immediately answer. He decided to take a chance. Pulling out a notepad he quickly jotted a note hitting the high points. He racked his mind trying to think of a way to let others know what was happening but couldn't think of anything. It had been the pilot's idea to use the planes lights to flash Morse code to their escort.

\--------

While there was no way for him to listen in on what was being said he could, however, monitor the amount of incoming and outgoing chatter. With the sudden influx of chatter it was highly probable that everything was going to plan. So far so good, he thought to himself. All seemed to be going according to plan. 

It was Walker's fault. True Walker hadn't been the one to unceremoniously toss him out of his calling, the navy, but it was Walker's fault just the same. Walker had started the wheels in motion. That self-righteous sob should have taken the time to tell everyone they were just discussing possibilities. Well, Walker would get what was coming to him soon enough. 

His thoughts drifted back to the baby, Jean. He turned the police scanner up and frowned. So far there had been no word if the baby had been found. With a huff of frustration, he cursed under his breath. Dammit, he'd called them. What were they waiting for? If they had taken his call seriously they'd have already found the baby. He decided to call the press with an anonymous tip if there was no word on the baby in an hour. Conscious assuaged, he brooded over the knowledge that no one ever took him seriously enough.

\--------

Gibbs glowered at his computer as he contemplated shooting it. It wasn't that the computer pissing him off. This time. He knew getting angry wasn't going to solve anything but he couldn't help it. He debated going down to Abby's lab to see if she knew anything useful yet, but dismissed the idea. There was no way she'd have had enough time to find out anything about the dirt McGee brought back. She would have already contacted him if she learned something from anything else. 

"Gibbs."

Gibbs looked up and tried his best not to glare at Vance. He failed. 

"What?"

"Walker's plane made contact."

"What have we got," Gibbs asked sharply.

Vance tilted his head towards the conference room. "This way," Vance said, motioning for Gibbs to follow him. Gibbs got up and followed Vance to a conference room.

Once inside Vance explained what they had so far. "Walker received a tape on the plane. The tape said his wife had been taken and if he wanted to see her again he had better follow directions. If he didn't then the person who took her would kill her. He was warned that he was being listened to live. If he tried contacting anyone about the situation, his wife would die. He was instructed to destroy the fleet ciphers, and delay informing anyone until his arrival at his first destination." 

"So how is it that he made contact?"

"Apparently, Walker wrote notes and the pilot came up with the idea of using their navigation lights to pass a message in Morse code. While the communication is a bit slow, we do know that the crew has done things to make it sound as if they had followed the instructions on the tape." 

"Could he identify the person that was on the tape?"

"I don't believe so, but messages back and forth, understandably, take time."

"When he lands I want the NCIS agent on board to send a copy of that tape to Abby. Tell the agent to play along with Walker's charade, hopefully we can buy more time. I'll meet you in MTAC after I bring the team up to speed."

Turning to head to MTAC Vance started though a mental list of nations that might benefit from from these actions. The more they learned the more it sounded like espionage. The questions were who and why.

On the way back to inform his team of the new developments, thoughts raced through Gibbs mind. Though espionage seemed like a logical deduction, something didn't feel right. His gut was still telling him this was something more personal. 

\--------

Driving down the road, Ziva pulled out her cell and hit the speed dial for Gibbs. She muttered under her breath at the people who seemingly had nowhere to be on Christmas Eve besides in front of her. She honked at the slow moving driver in front of her again before passing them. 

"Gibbs."

"While setting up the monitoring for ransom calls, we discovered a previous tap on their phone. I sent pictures to Abby. I left two other agents there and I'm on my way back now."

"Good job, Ziva. Walker received a tape on his plane with instructions. The tape claims Walker's been bugged so they're doing what they can to make it look like they're following the tapes instructions. I'm heading to MTAC now to talk to the 

NCIS agent on the carrier Walker's supposed to land on."

"Understood. I should be back in twenty minutes."

Horns blared again from the other cars on the road.

"Better make that twenty-five minutes."

"When you get back help find the two people still missing from the list of those Walker brought up for mast."

\--------

Hanging up Gibbs went to get a Caf-Pow. Caf-pow in hand he turned to the elevator and stopped short as Abby almost runs him down coming out of the elevator. 

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs! I got the dirt on the dirt!" Her eyes drifted to the Caf-Pow. As she reached for it Gibbs pulled the cup back. 

"What have you got for me Abbs?"

"We lucked out on the dirt. Apparently, there's only a small area around here that uses the organic, non-chemically treated fertilizer I found in it." She grinned at him waiting patiently.

"Okay Abbs, what makes it so special?"

"It was only used in one county near here and it's about an hour from where the car was found. There are only five businesses in that area that used that kind of fertilizer. Two of the them don't have this dirt anywhere nearby. One of them is a working farm. The two left are both for sale.

"Did you find-"

Abby held up a piece of paper. "Addresses on all five." she told him grinning.

"Good work Abbs," Gibbs said handing her the Caf-Pow. 

"But there's more Gibbs," she said taking the cup. "The tire tracks from the scene belong to a Ford Taurus and the gun used to shoot the car was a Beretta 9 mm. The blanket came from a Canis Dirus."

Gibbs frowned in confusion for a moment. "A wolf?"

"A dire wolf," Abby stated nodding her head.

"So someone made a blanket out of wolf fur."

"Not just any wolf fur, Gibbs. A dire wolf. They've been extinct for almost ten thousand years. Also there were tracks that looked suspiciously like sleigh tracks."

Gibbs sighed. "Abby are you trying to tell me you think Santa abducted Lt. Walker's wife?"

"Of course not."

Gibbs nodded absently trying to make sense of everything.

"I think Santa rescued the baby and brought her to you."

Gibbs sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Abby," he began.

"So unless you need me I would love to get back to trying to find proof."

He patted her shoulder. "Go for it Abbs."

He watched her pig tails bounce as she left. He shook his head and then headed to MTAC. Hopefully they could pinpoint the location using satellites to look at the different places without having to send people to each one.

\--------

As he listened to the bugs he'd planted on Walker's uniform he rubbed his hands together. His plan was coming together nicely. Walker's plane had landed at it's first stop and the NCIS agent on board was in the process of arresting Walker. Soon Walker would know what it felt like to have an unfairly tarnished record.

When he left he would make sure Walker's wife had a way to free herself when he left, then he would disappear. As much as he wanted revenge he wasn't a killer. All that was left was to make sure the baby was found. He couldn't believe that the local cops were so incompetent they couldn't find the baby. They had obviously blown off his call. No matter, he would call the local media and let the police deal with the fallout.

\--------

Pulling up behind the treeline Gibbs turned to the others. "Ziva, you and Tony take the back. McGee, you and I will take the front." Orders given the four of them left the car to take their respective positions.

\--------

Keeping his eyes on the monitors he picked up the cell he was using for the moment. Soon he would have to ditch it but he had others he could use if he needed to. He picked up the phone to place an anonymous call to the media about the inept police ignoring a tip about a baby in an abandoned car. Before he could dial he heard a noise on the roof. Shifting his vision he checked the screen that was monitoring that area of the roof. The camera seemed to be malfunctioning. Standing up he pulled his gun and aimed at the sky light.


	5. Chapter 5

Gibbs rushed into the building, gun drawn, the second the door was opened. He recognized Erik Keyes from his picture. Pointing his gun at Keyes Gibbs shouted. "NCIS. Drop it."

Sizing up the situation Keyes realized there was no way out of this. He would never be able to shoot the new arrivals before they could shoot him. If he didn't do something they would arrest him. He couldn't let that happen. Perhaps it didn't have to happen. A plan formed in his mind. He turned and aimed his gun at the agent who had spoken.

Gibbs watched as Keyes turned. Focused on his target he held his position until he had the shot he wanted. As Keyes brought his gun down Gibbs fired. Keyes staggered backwards, his gun falling to the floor as he stumbled back. Gibbs kept his gun on the man as he approached Keyes.

\--------

Ziva removed the duct tape as carefully as she could.

"N.C.I.S. Are you Mrs. Walker?" 

"Yes. Where's my baby? Is she okay? Did you find her?"

"Slow down, please. We did find a baby and we believe it is yours. We will get you to her as soon as we can."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"I have to go check on my team-"

A shot rang out through the building. 

\--------

Until they found Lt. Walker's wife they couldn't chance killing Keyes. Instead, Gibbs had opted to wound him. He shot the arm Keyes was holding the gun with to wound and disarm the man. He could have gotten another shot off if Keyes hadn't dropped the gun, but Gibbs figured Keyes would when the first shot hit. It was a calculated risk but he figured it was his best option at the moment. It worked as planned. As soon as the gun left Keyes' hands Gibbs moved forward and began to cuff him. When Gibbs looked back up Tony was in the door way to back room. Gibbs raised his eyebrow questioningly at the other man.

"We found Lt. Walker's wife," Tony said cocking his head behind himself. "Ziva's with her."

Gibbs gave a sharp nod before standing to pull Keyes up. As soon as Gibbs tugged Keyes up Keyes began to struggle. 

"No! It's his fault! You're ruining everything! He has to pay!"

"Who has to pay for what?"

"Walker," Keyes said, still struggling against Gibbs. "It's his fault I got discharged!"

"The report says you were written up for not following orders."

"It's not my fault that it was an exercise. If it had been real they would have thanked me. It's his fault I got discharged! He has to pay!"

"Pay for what, Keyes?"

"What about the others? Are they coming in?"

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at the change in subject. "What others?"

"The others on the roof. I heard them earlier. Just before you came in."

Gibbs watched Keyes. Keyes eyes were still shifting back and forth between him and the roof for some reason. Gibbs' eyes shifted to the skylight uncomfortably. Gibbs shook his head to clear it. Only his team was here as far as he knew. If there was someone on the roof who was it? Gibbs turned and caught Tony's eyes. With a nod of the head he motioned for Tony to go check out the roof.

\--------

Walking around the outside of the building slowly Tony didn't spot any tracks in the snow other than the ones the team made when they showed up. He also didn't see any way to onto the roof. Pausing he frowned slightly at the building trying to figure out how he was going to get onto the roof. He walked around the build a second time looking for anything that he could use. Nothing stood out as particularly useful.

Checking the area immediately surrounding the building Tony was suddenly struck by an idea. There was a tree nearby. It wasn't close enough to be useful for getting onto the roof but it would definitely let him see the roof. Walking over to the tree Tony shook his head. Climbing trees was definitely not in the job description. Sighing in resignation he started to climb. When he got high enough to see the roof he glanced over. 

There wasn't anyone on the roof but the snow on it was marred near the skylight in question. The prints in the snow were definitely not footprints. Possibly some animal Tony figured. Pulling out his camera carefully he took some quick photos of the area before climbing back down. He made his way back to the building. As he reached the door it opened and the rest of the exited the building. 

"Anything," Gibbs asked.

"Something that looks like animal tracks. No people or footprints, though."

Gibbs nodded once in acknowledgement.

"No! There was someone! I know what I heard, it was definitely not an animal," Keyes shouted. 

"Uh Boss," McGee interjected, ignoring Keyes. "How are we all getting back? There's not enough room in the car for all six of us." 

Gibbs checked his watch before turning to McGee. 

"I'm taking the suspect in the car we came in. When Palmer and Ducky get here Ziva, McGee and Mrs. Walker ride back with them. DiNozzo, with me."

"But how does Ducky know we need a ride," McGee asked confused.

"Called him before we left. As soon as we identified this was the right place I knew there was a chance we would be bringing back one if not two other people. Remember McGee, work smarter not harder." 

\--------

"Where is the baby," Ziva asked as they finally made it back to N.C.I.S.

"I left her with Abby," Ducky replied. "They should be in her lab."

"Thank you for the ride Ducky."

"You're quite welcome. There is always time to help out a damsel in distress," Ducky replied smiling. 

"Would escort Mrs. Walker there, if you don't mind?"

"It would be my pleasure."

"Thank you, Ducky."

**********

Entering the observation room Ziva rushed over to the two-way mirror and glanced over at Tony. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not yet, haven't been in here long. Gibbs should show soon. He had to grab some things first. What no popcorn?"

Ziva rolled her eyes. "You have been here longer. If you wanted popcorn you should have made it. So what do you think? Espionage?"

"Best guess? Something tells me it's more personal than that." Tony shrugged.

"Selling that information could net him a lot of money."

"Possibly, but what about when he said 'Walker had to pay'? He obviously blames Walker for something."

"True," Ziva admitted. As she pondered what Keyes could have meant the door opened and Gibbs walked in and slammed the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Gibbs glared at Keyes and dropped a folder on table. "You disobey a direct order and Walker writes you up for it. A black mark on your entire career from the very beginning. Walker wasn't the last to write you up was he? He was the first though. I bet that pissed you off. Any time it happened again, any time you got called on your flaws, I bet you remembered how much that stung. I bet it chafed." 

Gibbs sat down, opened the folder and picked up the reports. "Insubordination." He tossed a report on the table in front of Keyes. "Disobeying a direct order." Gibbs tossed another report onto the table. "Striking an officer." Gibbs dropped the remaining reports onto the table. He placed his hands on the tabletop and leaned across the table. "I bet every time you got written up you got pissed off at whoever wrote you up, but you also thought about the first time you got written up. I bet every time you found some way to blame it all on Walker." 

Gibbs straightened and folded his arms. He let the anger ebb away before he continued. "But the Navy recognized you as the failure you were and booted you. Someone like you? You were probably always a failure. Getting booted from the Navy was probably just one of the more recent failures. So then what do you do? You seethe and rage, plot and plan. You come up with this plan to get back at Walker. Then what happens? You fail at that too." Gibbs paused briefly letting Keyes anger build before continuing. "Tell me, how does it feel to be that big of a failure," Gibbs stated with a smirk.

Gibbs unfolded his arms and picked up the folder and began flipping through the contents still inside. He purposely ignored Keyes. Gibbs figured Keyes was the type of person that didn't take being ignored well. He didn't figure it take too long before Keyes wouldn't be able to stand it. As expected Keyes didn't last three minutes before slamming his fists into the table.

"You think you know me? You don't know anything about me!" Keyes stood and flung the chair across the room at the wall to their right. "You don't know what it's like when everyone wants to screw you over. You think it's all so easy because you've had it so easy all the time. You wouldn't have a clue how to handle it when every single person does everything to make sure you fail!"

"Cut the crap Keyes. You screwed up your own life. You screwed up your own career. It had nothing to do with Walker."

"No! It had everything to do with him! He wrote me up for something that wasn't my fault and because of that everyone had it out for me from then on!"

"You disobeyed a direct order Keyes," Gibbs said calmly.

"You weren't there! You don't know what happened!"

"I know you were ordered to maintain radio silence. I know you overheard a conversation you weren't a part of. I know you misunderstood what they were talking about and broke radio silence. I know Walker didn't force you to do any of that." Gibbs shrugged indifferently and went back to inspecting the folder in his hands.

Keyes slammed his fists into the table again and leaned across it. "It was Walker's fault. If he had explained the conversation or if-"

"If nothing! You disobeyed a direct order. You. All on your own. If it hadn't been a training exercise you could have endangered everyone on that sub!" Gibbs tossed the folder down on the table. He placed his hands on the table and leaned across it until he was only a few inches away from Keyes. "You could have gotten everyone on that sub killed if that had been an actual combat situation. Walker was right to write you up for that."

"No! It was a training exercise, it wasn't even real. He could have let it go. He could have just given me a warning. No, he had to write me up for it and screw up my whole career! It's all his fault! He has to pay for it!"

"So to make him pay you set him up. You put him in a situation where it's his family or his career," Gibbs growled.

"Yes! So he could know what it was like. So he'd know how it felt to be blamed for something that wasn't his fault."

"It was nothing more than petty revenge wasn't it Keyes? You're really so stuck on yourself that in order to get revenge for an imagined slight you-"

"It wasn't imagined!"

"It was and you know it. And to exact your revenge you abduct his wife. What I don't get is where I fit into the picture." This was the part of everything that Gibbs was the least sure of. Everything else was relatively easy to figure out. After dealing with Keyes at the warehouse and the ride back, he felt pretty confident he understood Keyes. It made getting Keyes to talk easy, but it still didn't explain the baby being in his house this morning. Gibbs watched Keyes carefully for his reaction. Keyes eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Confusion was not useful. It meant someone else had to have left the baby at his house. 

"I don't know you. The first time I saw you was when you burst in and ruined everything!" 

"What about the baby, Keyes? What was the plan? Leave her in the cold and hope the police got there before she froze?"

"She wasn't supposed to be there! Keyes straightened and kicked the table. "She was supposed to be with her grandparents! Walker's stupid wife screwed everything up by not taking her to her grandparents!"

Keyes folded his arms and turned his back on Gibbs. Gibbs uncrossed his arms and stormed over to Keyes. He grabbed Keyes' shoulders and spun him back around. Gibbs shoved him backwards slamming him into the wall and closed in until they were nose to nose. 

"You do not get to blame Lt. Walker's wife for your ineptness! It was your actions that endangered a five month old baby. Your actions! She could have died. She could have been hit when you shot the car. She could have died from exposure. She could have been killed by any number of wild animals. She could have been abducted by any number of sick perverted people! You do not get to push off responsibility for endangering the Walker's baby!"

The door to the interrogation room burst open. "Gibbs!"

Gibbs ignored Vance and stood there face to face with Keyes, refusing to release him.

"Let him go Gibbs. Now."

Gibbs growled and finally release Keyes. He knew he was overreacting, he just didn't care at this moment. Finally Gibbs turned and stormed out of the interrogation room. Vance followed directly behind. Gibbs didn't bother acknowledging him. He stormed into the observation room and pointed at Tony. "You. Put Keyes in a holding cell. After that you two get started on your reports," Gibbs barked out before turning to leave.

"Everyone stop." Vance moved to block Gibbs from exiting and locked eyes with him. "No one is going to do paperwork tonight. DiNozzo, you and Miss David make sure our guest gets put into a holding cell. Gibbs, I am escorting you to the the Christmas party."

"Don't push me Vance. Not right now."

"The paperwork can wait. The Christmas party can't. There will be time for paperwork tomorrow. Besides Lt. Walker and his wife are waiting for you all to show up so they can thank you. I told them I would personally see to it that they got a   
chance to thank you all in person. You don't get to get out of this one Gibbs." 

For a minute no one in the room moved.

"Fine. But don't expect me to stay. I'm not in the mood for this holiday crap," Gibbs growled out as he pushed past Vance. 

"You two better show fairly quickly too," Vance warned Tony and Ziva before following Gibbs out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And with the phrase "I have a bottle of vodka" I finished adding all challenge requirements! Go me. 
> 
> R&R plz!

"Well at least there will be snacks, I'm starved," Tony stated as they entered the elevator.

"You are always hungry Tony. It's Christmas. Can you think of nothing besides food?"

"Ooh, you're right! Maybe they'll still have some eggnog left."

Tony dodge as Ziva playfully smacked his shoulder. "Do you think they will still be here or did Gibbs frighten them off already," Ziva asked as the elevator came to a stop. 

"Wow. See for yourself," Tony said as they exited the elevator. Halfway across the room just off to the right side was Mrs. Walker and Gibbs. Gibbs was holding the baby, Jean, and talking with Mrs. Walker. 

"Is he actually smiling," Ziva asked stunned.

"The bossman and babies, go figure Zeevah." Tony shrugged and started walking over to introduce himself. 

"Mrs. Walker," Tony greeted her as he approached.

"Please call me Jessica."

Tony shook her hand. "Anthony DiNozzo, but you can call me Tony." He stepped aside so that Ziva could great Mrs. Walker as well. 

"Ziva David. Please call me Ziva," Ziva said as she shook Mrs. Walker's hand as well.

"Thank you both so much. I can't tell you how grateful I am for everything."

"Don't mention it. Just part of the job ma'am," Tony told Mrs. Walker.

While Tony wasn't normally a Christmas person he did have to admit this one was shaping up rather nicely. After a few minutes of conversation Ziva left to get something to drink. Mrs. Walker excused herself to use the restroom. While she was gone Gibbs' phone rang. Holding Jean with one arm he carefully pulled out his phone and frowned. 

"I need to take this." He looked at Tony and raised an eyebrow. "Do you mind," Gibbs asked nodding down to the sleeping baby in his arms.

"Um." Tony looks around briskly trying to see if anyone else was free. He decided it would take too much time to find anyone else. "Sure why not?" He gave Gibbs a shrug. 

Gibbs efficiently transferred the sleeping baby to Tony and headed off to take his call. Tony looked down at the baby. Jean, he thought to himself. Memories ran through his mind. The first time he saw her in the car seat. Holding her and trying to type. Memories of her sleeping on his shirts in the drawer. Unexpectedly he found himself smiling. Usually he didn't like babies. Somehow this one had grown on him.

"You're pretty okay for a baby," Tony whispered to Jean. For a while he sat there just watching her sleep. As someone approached he looked up. Mrs. Walker and McGee stood next to him. 

"Thank you for watching her. If you want I could take her back," Mrs. Walker offered.

Tony thought about it twice. "If you want get something to eat or drink I'm okay holding her."

Mrs. Walker smiled. "That would be nice, if you don't mind. I wouldn't want to impose."

Tony shook his head slightly, "It's no problem."

"Thank you so much, I'll just be right over there if you need anything." She pointed over to where the tables of food were set up. 

"Not a problem," Tony told her. "I'm sure we'll be fine until you get back." 

As Mrs. Walker turned and left Tony looked up and caught Tim staring at him. "What Probie?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Tony," Tim asked.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Tony, it's a baby."

Tony raise his eyebrows in mock shock. "Really? And here I thought it was just the latest in fashion accessories."

"All I'm saying is usually-"

"I know what you meant. Geez McGeek lighten up, it's a baby not a bomb."

\---------

Gibbs smiled as he heard Tony quote the exact thing he had told Tony earlier in the day. One day he's going to make a pretty decent dad, Gibbs thought to himself. It had been a long time since he had smiled on Christmas he realized. Deciding Tony had it covered he stayed where he was watching his two agents watch a baby sleep. He allowed himself to revel in some of his own fond Christmas memories for the first time in a long time. For the first time in a long time he was able to smile at those memories.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" He turned just in time see an Abby shaped blur fling it's self at him. Even with that much warning he still had to take a step back to steady himself as the force of an enthusiastic Abby collided with him. She wrapped him in one of her patent Abby hugs. He put one arm around her to hug her back and smiled. Finally she unwrapped herself and took a step back. He watched as she started to say something before pausing. 

"Are you okay," she asked him with an odd expression on her face.

Gibbs frowned at that. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just... I mean..." As Abby's words trailed off she reached up and gently brushed her fingers along the bottoms of his eyes. She held her fingers up for him to see. He was surprised when he saw the tips of her fingers were slightly damp. Shaking his head slightly he pulled her in for another hug.

"It's fine Abby," he told her as he released her. "Just some old memories."

"Oh," Abby replied quietly.

"Hey," Gibbs said putting his hand under her chin. He lifted her face until she was looking him in the eyes. "Good memories," he told her softly. "Good memories."

"Promise?"

"Would I lie to you Abby?"

Abby smiled as she shook her head. "I just thought maybe you were sad because it's Christmas and you can't be with your family."

Gibbs stared at her for a moment then turned around and watch McGee and Tony quietly talking. He turned and skimmed the crowd until he found Ziva talking with Palmer on the other side of the room. Not far off he saw Ducky and Gerald   
in a conversation with some other N.C.I.S personnel. He turned his gaze back to Abby.

"I am with my family Abby."

"I'm happy you're happy Gibbs. Oh, I almost forgot. Can we open presents soon? I don't think I can wait much longer!"

Gibbs frowned. "Abby I left my gift for you at my house."

"Ha ha Gibbs. Very funny."

"Abby, I'm serious. I haven't had time to go back and get it yet."

"Then I suppose Santa mysteriously dropped it off under the tree in my office," she replied. 

"Under your tree?"

"Yeah, under my tree with everyone else's presents." She held up a small, simply wrapped box that he recognized as the gift he was planning on giving Abby. "So come on, can we open presents soon or not? Please?"

"I'll get McGee and DiNozzo. You go get everyone else." Abby bounced off to collect everyone else. Gibbs tried to come up with a reason as to how the presents had mysteriously appeared at the N.C.I.S building. He couldn't come up with an answer for how it could have happened. After ensuring Jean was safely returned to her parents he made a quick detour before heading to Abby's lab. 

\---------

Gibbs walked into Abby's lab with a cup in each hand. Walking passed DiNozzo he handed him the coffee cup before handing Abby her cup. "Everyone ready to open presents," he asked giving Abby a peck on the cheek.

"Uh, Boss-" Tony started before he got cut off by Abby.

"Caf-Nog! You remembered!"

"Of course I remembered Abby."

"Uh, Boss," Tony repeated.

"What DiNozzo?"

"I think this coffee's a little cold."

"Might be 'cause it's not coffee DiNozzo," Gibbs replied with a half-smirk.

Tony lifted the lid and checked the contents. "Yes! Eggnog! Thanks Boss."

Gibbs shrugged. "It's Christmas time."

"How'd you get it? I asked Ziva to check if there was any when she went to get a drink. She said there wasn't any left."

"Might be cause I got the last cup and stashed it for you." The goofy grin on Tony's face was more than thanks enough for Gibbs. "So are we opening gifts or not?"

\--------- 

They exchanged gifts and opened them. Afterward they spent sometime telling amusing holiday stories and just generally enjoying each other's company. Gerald, Jimmy and Ducky had to leave to go home. Pretty soon it was just the five of them left in Abby's office. In a lull in the conversation Tony couldn't help himself. "Man a drink would be nice after a day like this one."

"I just might be able to help you with that Tony," Abby said as she spun slow circles in her desk chair.

"Sorry Abbs, I was thinking something a little more strong than your non alcoholic whiskey."

"Actually I made some of that too, but that's not quite what I meant," Abby said cryptically. 

Tony watched Abby stop spinning and reached into the bottom drawer of her desk. "Tada! Along with my non alcoholic whiskey I have a bottle of vodka."

"Abby, why do you have a bottle of vodka in your desk," Ziva asked.

"I was supposed to go to another Christmas party after this one was over," Abby stated then shrugged.

Gibbs checked his watch which read 00:28. "Abby the N.C.I.S. party ended more than two hours ago."

"I know."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I was doing something more important."

"Abby, all you were doing was talking with us for hours," Tony said.

"Yep. Exactly what I said."

\------------------------------ 

Gibbs opted not to drink more than one toast so that he could drive anyone else that did drink. Ziva had two toasts, but claimed that was all she wanted. As their small party winded down Ziva ended up taking Tony home and Gibbs took Abby and Tim. Despite it being Christmas Gibbs was actually in a really good mood. He whistle to himself as he approached his door and walked into his house.

As he walked into the living room he stopped after only a few steps. Someone had come in and decorated his fireplace. Gibbs furrowed his brow in confusion There was garland across the the mantle of the fireplace. Gibbs walked forward and inspected it. It was real garland not the artificial garland now commonly sold in stores. There were also small hand carved wood decoration both in the garland and place on top of the mantle. 

In the center of the mantle of the fireplace was what looked like a present. It was a small, thin rectangle wrapped in plane white paper. Gibbs picked up the package and turned in a full circle to inspect the rest of the living room. Nothing else seemed to have been touched. He walked back to the front door to check for any prints in the snow beyond those he had just made. Finding none he walked to the back door and checked. No foot prints there either. Cautiously he checked the rest of the house. Nothing else seemed to have been touched.

Gibbs, still holding the package walked over to his couch and sat down. He spent a few minutes studying the package. Wondering where it had come from? Who had left it? Why they decorated his house? Was the person that left this package the same one who had brought the baby here? What was in the package? He set the package down and went into the kitchen to get a beer. 

When he returned he took a sip of his beer and placed it on the coffee table. Gibbs picked the small package back up. He slowly started to open it. When the paper was loose enough to be removed he hesitated. Holding it so that the the open side was on the bottom he spent time running his fingers across it. It felt like wood. Slowly he pulled the paper the rest of the way off of it. 

He had been right. He had felt wood. Very nice wood, very delicately carved. It was a beautifully worked, hand crafted picture frame. The quality of the wood or the detail of the work was not what caught his attention however. The frame already contained a picture. A picture that it could not have contained. The picture was one where he had been deployed during a Christmas. Shannon had taken the picture of her and Kelley with the Christmas tree in the background. He used to carry that picture everywhere after she had sent it to him. When he had been blown up in Kuwait he'd had that picture on him. That morning was the last time he saw it. It had been lost in the explosion and never recovered. 

Holding the frame with one hand he brought his right hand to his mouth. His vision began to water and the picture started to become blurry. Using his right hand he wiped the tears out of his eyes and moved to lay down on the couch. Once again he grasped the picture with both hands. He dug his fingers into the frame as if not clutching the picture tightly enough might cause it to disappear. The last thing he saw before falling into a deep peaceful sleep was the image of his girls. Happy. On Christmas.


End file.
